Improvement in harvesters



PETER NICQLA.. No. 121,061. PatentedN0v.21,1a71.

PETER NICOLA, OF MASSILLON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,061, dated November21, 1871.

To all 'whom it may coa-cera:

Be it known that I, PETER NICOLA, of Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, haveinvented certain Improvements in Reaping-Machines, and that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact specication thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the said invention.

My invention relates to the gearing, gathering, and binding mechanism ofthat class of reapers constructed with a horizontal rotary cutter orsickle; and the first part ol' said invention consists in thecombination, with the bevel drivingwheel on the main shaft, of acombined bevel and spur-wheel, which meshes into the beveldriving-wheel, and of a train of spur-wheels driven by said combinedWheel, and lying in a plane parallel to the main shaft and at rightangles to the axis of the rotary sickle; the obj ect being to obtain ashort and simple train for commnnicating the power directly from thedrivingshaft to the sickle, so arranged as to require as little frameroom as possible. The second part of my invention consists in thecombination, in a reaping-machine, of the following elements, to Wit: aframe for the gearing and rotary sickle; a pair of driving-wheels 'orsupporting the main Weight of the frame and gearing and impelling thegear-train; a train of spur-gearing arranged between the side framepieces, and in a plane parallel to the driving-shaft and at right anglesto the axis of the sickle-cylinder, and gearing from a bevel-gear on thedriving-shaft to a spurgear on the sickle-cylinder; a rotary sickle-cyLinder provided with a cutting-sickle and superimposed corrugatedsupporting disk, and a caster-Wheel arranged within the periphery of thesickle-cylinder, and under the supporting disk thereof, and serving tosupport the sickle-cylinder and to guide the machine, the several partsbeing arranged substantially as shown, and the whole cutting mechanismsoconstrncted being impelled by one or more animals placed betweenshafts at its rear, as is hereinafter described; the object of saidcombination and arrangement being to bring the whole of the propellingand cutting mechanism oi' the rotary reaper into a compact form in therear of the width oi' grain to be out at each passage oi' the machine,so that none of the cut grain or sheaves need be moved or touched inreaping. The third part oi' said invention consists in the constructionoi a raking and gathering mechanism, composed of a series ofrake-lingers which gather up the grain from the ground Where it is laidby the cutting mechanism, and of a revolving sheaf-gatherer, which takesthe grain in sheaves from the ralre-iingers and carries it up to thebinder in proper form to be tied up into sheaves, al1 substantially asis hereinafter more fully described. The fourth part of said inventionconsists in the combina tion, with the raking and gathering mechanism,oi a holder-head and a revolving sheaf-holder, said holder-head beingjournaled on the shaft of the sheaf-gatherer and having the sheaf-holderjournaled in its end, and the several parts being arranged so as todeliver the sheaves gathered by the she-af-gatherer onto theshear-holder for binding, and to discharge them therefrom after bindingby a partial rotation of said sheai-holder. The iifth part of myinvention consists in the combination oi a hinged binding-apron,operated by the foot of the binder, with the holderhead 'and revolvingsheaf-holder, by which the binder is enabled to control the movements ofthe binding mechanism entirely with his foot, so as to leave both hishands free for tying up the sheaves. The sixth part of said inventionconsists in the combination, in a gathering and binding mechanism for areaper, of the following elements, to wit: a series of rake-lingers forgathering the grain from the ground; a revolving sheet-gatherer forgathering the sheaves of grain from the ralre-ngers; a revolvingsheafholder for receiving thesheaves from the sheafgatherer, holdingthem while being bound and discharging them to the ground again; and abinding-apron operated by the foot of the binder, and serving to controlthe movements of the binding mechanism without aid from the hands oi thebinder; the whole forming a complete hand-binding apparatus, andoperating substantially as is hereinafter more fully shown.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of a reaping-machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same taken from thedelivery side of the machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thesickle-cylinder. Fig. 4 is a front view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a rearview of the same. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the gathering and bindingmechanism.

A A are the side frame-pieces of the frame, and B D E the main crossframe pieces, said pieces E and D extending out over the innerframe-piece A to form the frame for the binding mechanism, and the pieceB extending out sufficiently to form a support for the binders seat 'L'.The cross-piece F is fastened on the frame-pieces A A, and has securedon it the post 5, which serves as a journal-box for the shaft 12 of thesickle-cylinder G 6 J. This sickle-cylinder consists of the supportingdisk G, which is made with a corrugated edge, as shown in Fig. l, and onthe under side of which is the concave cylinder 6, to the lower edge ofwhich is secured the rotary sickle J. The spur gear-wheel H is securedon the disk G, and on it is the hollow shaft 12, which fits in the post5 and forms the axis of rotation for the sickle-cylinder. Thesemicircular finger-plate 8 9 9 is fastened under the sickle J to theside frame pieces A A, and serves as a support for the sickle-cylinder.The sicklecylinder Gr 6 J being in effect a single solid piece, andhaving the shaft 12 solidly secured thereto, it is seen that there islittle liability of any derangement of its parts which would impede itseasy rotation, while, by having the finger-plate serve as the directsupport of the rotary sickle, a close fit is secured at all timesbetween the sickle and lingers, which causes a clean cut by the4 sickle.The caster-wheel U is arranged in the center of the sickle-cylinder G J,and has a shaft, T, which extends up through the hollow shaft 12, andhas the steering-lever S secured on its upper end, as shown in Figs. 2and 3. The driving-shaft W is arranged in journal-boxes in theframe-pieces A A, and on it is secured the driving-wheels o 0, bevelgear-wheel M, (see Fig. 1,) and the pulley-wheel Y. (See Fig. 5.) Thecombined bevel and spur gear-wheel X L has on its lower and inclinedf'ace the bevel gear-teeth X, which mesh into the teeth of the beveldriving-wheel M, (see Fig. 5,) and on its cylindrical edge are the spurgear-teeth L, which mesh into the teeth of the spur gear-wheel K, whichmeshes into the spur gear-wheel H on the sickle-cylinder Gr J, as shownin Fig. l, the said gear-wheels H K L being all in a plane parallel tothe driving-shaft W, and at right angles to the axis of thesickle-cylinder shaft l2. The gear-wheel K is secured on a journal inthe cross-piece R, on the frame-pieces A A, and the wheel L X is securedon a journal in the arm R', extending from the center of the cross-pieceR around to the frame-piece A, as shown in Fig. l. rlhe thillpieces C CC,which may be two or more in number, according as one or more horsesare to be used to impel the machine, are secured to the cross-piece B-inthe rear of the machine, and have the pulley-wheels 3 3 3 at their ends,and the chains 4 4, to which the horses are attached, are passed overthese pulleys and along under the pieces C to the whifiietrees 2 2,which are secured on the under side of the cross-piece B, as indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 1. The horses are placed between thethill-pieces C G and move forward in the direction of thesicklecylinder, so that the whiffletrees are in front of them, thisbeing the most convenient arrangement on account of' leaving the ends ofthe thills clear, so as to present no obstruction to leading the horsesto their places. The main shaft P of the binding mechanism is journaledin the frame-pieces A A, and in a cross-piece,

fic, uniting the ends of the pieces D E, and is drivenb'y a belt, 13,passing over the pulley Y on the driving-shaft W, (see Fig. 5,) and thepulley Q, on the said shaft l?. On this shaft P are journaled the'rake-fingers c d, which are made with the heads c of sufficient lengthto give the fingers the proper lateral bearing on the shaft, and whichhave the curved ngerends d, which drag on the grain-stubble and gatherup the cut grain into their hollowed fronts, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.The two sheaf-gatherers b e b e'are fastened on the shaft F, and aremade with one or more curved arms, e, which are at such distance fromthe shaft P as to gather the grain in sheaves from the rake-fingers c das the gatherers b are revolved with the shaft P. The holder-head f isjournaled on the shaft P, between the gatherers b e b e; and in a slot,fm, (see Fig. 6,) in said head is arranged the sheafholder g j j, whichis journaled on the pin l, and has three or more arms, j, of the generalform shown. The projections v7c on the arms j are notched to receive thecord or string with which the sheaves are/to be tied up, said cord beinglaid in before the sheaf is dropped into the arm j by the gatherer-armse. The cover a, is attached to the frame-pieces D E, and has pivoted toit the stop-bar n, which has an arm, p, to prevent it from swinging off'from the head f to the left, and which serves to hold said head in ahorizontal position on the shaft P when not otherwise supported. Thebinders seat z' is attached to the frame-piece B, as shown, and beneathit is secured the foot-stirrup u, the one side of which is slotted toadmit the treadle-bar t on the link s, as shown in Fig. 6. The lever qis pivoted in an arm, r, on the frame-piece D, and

has the link s attached to its rear end, while its front end has abearing on the under side of the binding-apron h, which is hinged on theunder side of the frame-piece D, and is of such length as to serve as asupport for the head j' and sheafholder g when the apron is held up bythe lever q, being drawn down by the foot of the binder pressing on thetreadle-bar t. The cover V for the gearing is attached to theframe-pieces A A, and a plate, l0, is placed over the space between theframe-piece E and cross-piece F 5 and a V- shaped covering-plate, I, issecured on the end of the grain side piece A and to the front of thecross-piece F to keep the grain that is cut off by the sickle-edge 14,(see Fig. 4,) which is between the last grain-finger 9 and thedividing-end of the grain side piece A, from falling back onto thecross-piece F. The front end of the inner frame-piece A is rounded offand lbent in to lit the face of the concave cylinder 6; or, ifpreferred, a separate piece may be attached for this purpose, the objectbeing to throw off all the grain-butts at this point, in order toprevent them from dragging with and clogging the sickle.

The construction and arrangement of the several parts of the machinehaving been thus fully shown, its operation Will be readily seen. Thedividing end of the gra-in frame piece A and the several fingers 9 9push into the standing grain, and that portion between the outer finger9 and the grain piece A is cut off by the inclined sickleedge 14, and isheld in an upright position and slid toward the support-ing disk G bythe inclined cover-piece I. The grain between the fingers 9 9 is cut oi'by the rotaryr sickle J, and is held in an upright position by thecorrugated edge of the disk G, against which it bears when cut on bythesickle. The united rotary motion of both the sickle and disk brings thegrain around to the delivery side 8, and at the same time swings thegrain-heads outward, so that as the grain falls over the inner nger 8,upon losing the support of the standing grain, it will drop onto the cutstubble in a direction nearly parallel to the piece E and at rightangles to the course of the machine. When, in very heavy grain, there isany difficulty in causing the grain to tilt over in the requireddirection, the inclined end 7, or a plate more nearly approaching theshape of a plow mold-board, can be extended from the piece E, over andabove the end 7, and over the inner finger 8, above the disk G, to aidin directing the fall of the grain in the proper manner. The grain thuscut and laid on thev stubble is gathered up bythe rake-fingers d d, andis taken in sheaves from them by the gatherer-arms e,

which deliver the sheaves onto the sheaf-holder arms j, Where it is tiedup with the string previously laid upon said arms by the binder seatedupon the seat fi.

The sheaf is reached by the hands of the binder vthrough the hole shownin the cover a in Figs.

1, 5, and G; and the binding-apron Ii is operated Wholly by his foot onthe treadle-bar t, being held up, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, to supportthe head f While the aims ey on the left with their shear' are passingthe bar a; then being dropped to allow a quarter turn of the holder g j,after the shearl has been placed on it by the gatherer-arms c; thenbeing raised again to support the sheaf while being tied; and beingagain dropped momentarily to allow another quarter turn of the holder gj to discharge the sheaf after it has been tied up.

The number of arms on the sheaf-gatherers b e can be varied to suit thesize of sheaves or gavels required, or to adapt the machine to light orheavy grain; and these last-mentioned considerations Will also affectthe proper speed of rotation for the shaft l?,\vl;1icl1 must thereforebe left to the judgment of the constructor.

The lever S, Which controls the caster-Wheel U by which the machine isguided, is operated either by the person who rides upon and drives thehorse, in which case the lever is extended back so as to be reached bythe driver; or it may be operated by a second person on a seat securedon the cover V, which second person or pilot can also Watch in thestanding grain for stumps or stones which might come in the Way of therotary sickle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to 2. In a rotaryreaping-machine, the combina-l tion of the following elements, to Wit: Aframe, A A D R E F, driving-Wheels O 0, bevel driving-Wheel M, combinedbevel and spur Wheel X L, spur-Wheel train K H, supporting disk G,rotary sickle H, and caster-Wheel U, the several parts being arrangedand operating, and the Whole being impelled and guided, substantially asis herein speciiied.

3. rllhe rake-iingers d d el, in combination With the revolvingsheafgatherers b e b e, the several parts being arranged for jointoperation, substantially as specified.

4:. The holder-head j' and revolving sheaf-holder g j, in combinationwith the revolving sheafgatherers b c b e, the said parts being arrangedfor joint operation, substantially as speciiied.

5. The swinging bar a with its stop-arm p, in combination with theholder-headfjournaled on the shaft P, the several parts being arrangedand operating substantially as specified.

6. The hinged binding-apron h, in combination with the swingingholder-head f and revolving shear-holder gj, the several parts beingarranged as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination, in a gathering and binding mechanism for a reaper,of the following elements, to Wit: A series of rake-iingers forgathering the cut grain, a revolving sheafgatherer for taking thesheaves from the rake-fingers, a revolving sheaf-holder for receivingthe sheaves, holding them While being tied up and discharging them tothe ground, and a binding-apron, operated by the binders foot andserving' to control the movements of the sheaf-holder, the several partsbeing arranged substantially as is herein described.

8. The pivoted lever g and link s, with treadlebar t, in combinationwith the hinged bindingapron hf, the several parts being arranged andoperating substantially as and for the purpose specified.

As evidence ofthe foregoing Witness my hand this 6th day of June, 1871.

' PETER NICOLA.

Witnesses z v Jon ABBOTT,

ANDREW GHoFFrN. (74)

